This application claims the priority of 102 11 443.9, filed Mar. 15, 2002, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention concerns a sensor-mirror arrangement on a windshield of a motor vehicle.
Installing a rain sensor on a windshield of a motor vehicle with the aid of which a windshield wiper device can be controlled is known from German Reference DE 198 46 969 A1. In order to be able to control wiper activity as needed with the help of the rain sensor, it is necessary to arrange the rain sensor on the windshield inside the wiping field of the windshield wiper device. Moreover, legal provisions must be observed that prohibit positioning a visual obstruction within a prescribed field of vision of the windshield. Correspondingly, a rain sensor of this type can be positioned, for example, in an upper edge region of the windshield that is situated between the free field of vision and a roof of the motor vehicle.
An inside rear view mirror is known from German Patent DE 37 00 098 C2 that is fastened with the aid of a mirror mounting to the windshield. Legal provisions must be heeded for installing this inside rear view mirror, as well. On the one hand, it is also true here that the mirror mounting may not be arranged in the free field of vision. Above and beyond this, the inside rear view mirror must be arranged in the motor vehicle interior so that it has a prescribed angle of view geometry that ensures that a standardized standard motor vehicle driver can monitor a prescribed minimum field of view through the inside rear view mirror.
Usually, a mirror mounting which is fastened independently of the inside rear view mirror on the windshield, especially using a cement, is used to fasten the inside rear view mirror on the windshield. A first fastening element is constructed on this mirror mounting that is formed in known inside rear view mirrors through two strips projecting laterally on opposite sides of a foundation, whereby an undercut is formed between these strips and the windshield surface. A mirror base of the inside rear view mirror possesses a second fastening element that is constructed complementary to and interacting with the first fastening element for fastening the inside rear view mirror to the mirror mounting. With known inside rear view mirrors, the second fastening element is formed by a flat spring that reaches behind the strips with inwardly bent end segments. Moreover, the mirror mounting is dimensioned such that the mirror base fastened on it has a minimum distance from the surface of the windshield. This minimum distance guarantees that the mirror base can detach from the mirror mounting in the event of a disturbance, for example, in the event of a crash, in order to prevent injuries. Furthermore, this minimum distance is necessary for a comfortable installation of the mirror base on the mirror mounting.
It can be desirable for various reasons to arrange the sensor and the inside rear view mirror as close alongside each other as possible. Moreover, there exists a wish to outfit motor vehicles that are regularly outfitted with an inside rear view mirror, optionally also with a sensor, especially light and/or rain sensor. In certain motor vehicles, the mirror mounting is arranged in the wiping field of the windshield wiper arrangement to obtain a specified angle of view geometry. The installation of a sensor can be problematic if the sensor gets into the free field of vision when installed beneath the standard position of the mirror mounting and moves out of the wiping field when installed above the mass production arrangement, and a positioning of the sensor alongside the mirror mounting is not desired. A shifting of the mass production inside rear view mirror upward along the windshield in order then to be able to mount the sensor below the inside rear view mirror in the wiping field does not promote the objective since the inside rear view mirror then no longer possesses the prescribed angle of view geometry in the new spatial bearing.
The present invention deals with the problem of disclosing an improved design for a sensor-mirror of the type mentioned at the beginning, which in particular makes possible a better utilization of the mounting space.
The invention is based on the general idea of placing the first fastening element of the mirror mounting at a distance from the windshield using a pedestal when moving the mirror mounting along the windshield. In this way, it is possible to correct the spatial bearing with an inside rear view mirror that leaves the prescribed angle of view geometry when moved upward so that the inside rear view mirror once again possesses the necessary angle of view geometry. In this way, it is possible, with restricted available space, to arrange the sensor below the mirror mounting on the windshield. Because this structure can use a typical, standard inside view mirror, conversion from an outfitting variant without sensor to an outfitting variant without a sensor can be especially economically realized. In particular, reconstruction of the inside rear view mirror is not necessary.
It is evident that the aforementioned features still to be explained below can be used not only in the respectively indicated combination, but also in other combinations or alone without leaving the framework of the present invention.
Further important features and advantages of the invention emerge from the dependent claims, from the drawings and from the associated description of the figures on the basis of the drawings.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A preferred design of the invention is represented in the drawings and will be explained in greater detail in the description below whereby the identical reference numbers relate to identical or functionally identical or similar components.